1. What Is Syntax?
Syntax is the set of rules, principles, and processes that govern the structure
of sentences in English, especially how words combine to form phrases and
sentences.
2. Basic Sentence Structure in English
Canonical English Sentence Order:
Subject – Verb – Object
(SVO)
Example:
The cat (S) chased (V) the mouse (O).
3. Parts of Speech (Word Classes)
|
Part of Speech |
Function |
Example |
|
Noun |
Person/place/thing |
student, London |
|
Verb |
Action/state |
jump, is, seem |
|
Adjective |
Describes a noun |
happy, blue |
|
Adverb |
Modifies verb/adj |
quickly, very |
|
Preposition |
Shows relationship |
in, on, under |
|
Determiner |
Introduces noun |
the, a, this |
|
Pronoun |
Replaces noun |
he, she, it |
|
Conjunction |
Connects clauses |
and, but, because |
|
Interjection |
Emotion/exclamation |
oh!, wow! |
4. Phrase Structure in English
4.1 Noun Phrase (NP)
[The big brown dog] barked.
Structure: Det + Adj(s) + Noun (+PP)
4.2 Verb Phrase (VP)
The dog [barked loudly].
Structure: Verb + (NP) + (AdvP/PP)
4.3 Prepositional Phrase (PP)
The dog barked [at the stranger].
Structure: Preposition + NP
4.4 Adjective Phrase (AdjP)
The dog is [very angry].
Structure: (Adv) + Adjective
5. Sentence Types in English
|
Type |
Example |
|
Declarative |
The dog barked. |
|
Interrogative |
Did the dog bark? |
|
Imperative |
Bark! |
|
Exclamative |
What a loud bark that was! |
6. Clauses in English
6.1 Independent Clause
Can stand alone as a sentence.
She smiled.
6.2 Dependent (Subordinate) Clause
Cannot stand alone. Needs a main clause.
Although she smiled...
7. Common Sentence Patterns
|
Pattern |
Example |
|
S + V |
He sleeps. |
|
S + V + O |
She reads books. |
|
S + V + IO + DO |
He gave me a gift. |
|
S + V + C |
They are happy. |
|
S + V + A |
She lives in
Paris. |
- S = Subject
- V = Verb
- O = Object (DO
= Direct, IO = Indirect)
- C = Complement
- A = Adverbial
8. Transformations in English Syntax
8.1 Passive Voice
Active: The chef cooked the meal.
Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef.
8.2 Wh-Questions
Statement: She bought a car.
Question: What did she buy?
8.3 Yes-No Questions
Statement: He is coming.
Question: Is he coming?
8.4 Negation
Positive: They like pizza.
Negative: They do not like pizza.
9. English Syntax Rules
9.1 Subject-Verb Agreement
She works. / They work.
9.2 Use of Auxiliaries
He is eating. / They have eaten.
9.3 Tense and Aspect
- Simple Present:
She sings.
- Present
Continuous: She is singing.
- Present
Perfect: She has sung.
9.4 Modifier Placement
- Adjectives come
before nouns: a big house
- Adverbs are
more flexible: He quickly ran / He ran quickly
10. Tree Diagrams (Constituency Trees)
For example:
The dog chased the cat.
mathematica
CopyEdit
S
/ \
NP VP
/ \ / \
Det
N V NP
| | | /
\
The dog chased Det N
| |
the cat
11. Syntactic Ambiguity in English
Example:
I saw the man with the telescope.
Two interpretations:
- I used a
telescope to see.
- The man had a
telescope.
Use tree structures to disambiguate.
12. Exercises
A. Identify Sentence Pattern:
The girl gave her brother a gift.
→ S + V + IO + DO
B. Transform:
- Active: The boy
ate the cake.
→ Passive: The cake was eaten by the boy.
C. Identify Phrase Types:
The girl with the red scarf danced gracefully.
- NP: The girl
with the red scarf
- VP: danced
gracefully
- PP: with the
red scarf
- AdvP:
gracefully
